Life Goes On
by overcheatedXdreamer
Summary: Inspired by the epilogue of the seventh book and niterviews with JK Rowling, it takes place a year after Harry kills Voldemort. I kind of suck at summaries, but I tried. Rated T for some language and mild violence. No Sues. All charcters OC.


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Yes everyone. My very first Harry Potter fic. So after staying up all night and half the day reading the 7th book the epilogue gave me a brilliant idea which I've been wanting to do for some time now. This takes place a year after Harry defeats Voldemort for the last time, and it is basically his life after the Dark Lord's fall. It goes into more description than "Nineteen Years Later", and a lot of this is taken from interviews with JK Rowling where she goes into more detail about the futures of the Harry Potter characters. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. That is the work of one of the most brilliant writers I know, J.K. Rowling.

Harry stretched his arms way up over his head, still refusing to open up his eyes and welcome the new day. He absentmindedly scratched his forehead…it was starting to itch. Harry bolted upright, breathing hard and clutching at his scar. He looked around wildly, the bright sunlight stinging his eyes while he searched for his glasses. He took a moment to get calm himself down and threw the covers off of his bed. Harry Potter knew that Lord Voldemort was gone now, finally destroying him for good this time last summer. So many people that he knew and loved had gotten hurt, and some killed. Briefly, Harry flashed back on what it had been like when the fight was over. He had been numb to the bone, wanting nothing more than to join Fred and Lupin and Tonks. He thought about Lupin and Tonks, lying side by side as if they were asleep under the enchanted ceiling of the Great Hall, never to see the end of the man who had cost them so much pain, to watch their son grow up.

He rarely went out of the house anymore except to visit Teddy or the Weasleys. He had grown to be even more of a celebrity than he had been before destroying Voldemort, and could now be found in the almost fully remodeled chambers of Grimmauld Place.

Harry flicked his wand in the direction of the bathroom and soon enough he could hear the shower running. He grabbed a towel, a pair of underwear and jeans and trooped off to the shower, still lost in his own thoughts. He let the hot water run over him in a scalding wave, but enjoying that he finally had hot water and he could spend as much time in bath as he wanted. At the Dursely's, he was always the last one to bathe, and the precious few times that he was able to get hot water, Dudley usually turned the faucet on or flushed the toilet. He suppressed a grin thinking about Dudley. His cousin had actually gotten up the nerve to write to him, despite his parents' useless threats and warnings. Dudley had hoped that Harry would come around for Christmas, not to stay, but perhaps have a bit of dinner and talk some more. Harry admired the effort that Dudley was putting into trying to build a friendship between the two of them, and he wrote that he would possibly think about it.

Ten minutes later, Harry was seated at his kitchen table, sorting through the mail that Twitters had brought in. Loni, the small female house elf, scurried in with Harry's breakfast and gave a stern shout at the owl, who had knocked over a number of letters from the Ministry of Magic that had been sitting in his landing strip.

"Loni does hope that Master sees fit to keep Twitters out of the kitchen and the dining room," the house elf cried, pretending to look angry. Harry just grinned at her and set aside the Daily Prophet. There were two letters from Hermione, one letter from Ron, one from Ginny, and a letter from Mrs. Tonks asking Harry to tea that weekend and enclosing a picture of Teddy. The child had neon orange spiked hair and was drooling profusely at the camera. Harry smiled fondly at Teddy's wet grin and scanned the Daily Prophet. The Ministry was, of course, in shambles, although they had taken a huge step forward by getting rid of Pius Thinknesse and replacing him with Kingsley Shacklebolt, who was currently working on making some room in the Auror department for Harry and Ron.

The doorbell rang and Loni ran to get the door. Harry was, as always, pleasantly surprised when he remembered the powerful Silencing Spell Hermione had cast on Mrs. Black's portrait. He went to get the front door when Loni ran back inside, her round blue eyes wide as they could get and bat-like ears flapping.

"Sir," she whispered, "There is a Malfoy here to see you!" Loni had been warned of all of the wizards that Harry did not want any contact with, and the Malfoys were at the top of the list. Harry sneered at the doorway to the kitchen right as the visitor came walking in.

Draco stopped in the entryway and surveyed Harry with a cold distant expression. Trailing behind him was a petite girl with light golden skin, and jet black hair. Her large black eyes darted about the room uncomfortably. She was undeniably beautiful, and her slender hands hovered just above Draco's arm. Even the soft, welcoming expression on her face seemed to confuse Harry all the more. The girl was obviously the complete opposite of Draco Malfoy, who, like his father, was pale, blonde-haired and blue-eyed. Draco sniffed and looked around the room with utter contempt.

"This won't take long, Potter. Just business," Malfoy whispered harshly. The small girl laid a hand on his arm. She didn't look to be more than fifteen or sixteen years old.

"Draco," she whispered warningly.

"I don't have any business with you , Malfoy. So if you will leave, I have places to go," Harry said. Malfoy fumed visibly and the girl squeezed his arm tighter.

"After throwing my father back in Azkaban-"

"Where he belongs!" Malfoy's face colored, and the girl stepped in front of him. He shut his mouth and gritted his teeth, letting the girl take over. She swept a lock of black hair away from her face and studied Harry coolly as Malfoy had done earlier. Harry took back his first impression of her. He had the feeling that she could be just as hard to deal with, if not worse than Malfoy. She held out her hand, all business.

"I'm Estella Bitola," she said. Harry could hear the strong accent in her voice, and for the life of him he could not place it. He shook her hand warily.

"I really am busy, so if you would make this short." Estella raised a perfectly arched black eyebrow.

"Of course. I know that being to be such a huge celebrity must take quite a toll on you," she said softly. Her voice as polite, neutral, but the look in those dark eyes was anything but neutral. Harry became angry.

"Look, tell me why you are here or get out of my house!" Harry yelled. He had had enough of Draco and his little girlfriend barging into his home…

"We want Bellatrix Lestrange's jeweled brooch." Harry stared at the Estella.

"Well I don't have it." Draco pushed Estella aside, his hand hovering near his wand.

"Of course you don't have it, Potter," he spat, "But that filthy little house elf did before he snuffed it." Draco laughed at the look on Harry's face as he mentioned poor Kreacher, who had died not so long ago. Harry smiled coldly and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Well, then I should probably check the boiler room. But I won't," Harry said. Draco once again flushed an unnatural shade of violet. Estella stepped in between the two men once again. She held up a packet of wrinkled papers.

"The brooch was left to the Malfoy family in Bellatrix's will, along with a number of other items. The brooch was the only item not found in her vault at Gringotts, which means it must be here." Harry noticed that she never rose her voice above a whisper. Harry rolled his eyes.

"I'll check, but I've never noticed anything of the sort around here. Why is it so important to you anyways, Malfoy? I never really thought it was your taste, but I could be wrong," he smirked. Malfoy frowned, and then grinned widely, more of a boasting smile than a happy one. He hugged Estella to him again.

"It's a wedding gift to Estella. In addition to the ring I bought her. Show him, Estella." Estella held up her hand to show him an enormous engagement ring, a pink diamond that was almost the size of her tiny hand. Harry had the feeling that Estella was only wearing it so that Draco could show off. "Of course it was bloody expensive, but my Estella is well worth it. Besides, it's not like I can't afford it. And we are quite the perfect match, what with the Bitolas being one of the richest pureblood wizarding families in all of Europe. It was almost fate when mother and I took that vacation in Italy," Malfoy was saying, but Estella was hardly paying attention. Instead she was gazing serenely at Harry as they climbed the steps to the boiler room. Harry checked the small room over, and did indeed end up finding a tiny emerald butterfly brooch. He handed it to Malfoy without another word and showed them the door.

"Malfoy," Harry nodded. Malfoy smirked.

"See you, Potter." Estella took Malfoy's hand and inclined her head towards Harry in a silent farewell. Harry watched the couple walk off and went outside, closing the door behind him. He closed his eyes, soaking up the sun and warm weather. He thought of how awful it would be to spend a nice day like this inside, and then a pretty red headed girl flashed through his mind. He grinned and went back inside to write to the Weasleys, asking them if it would be fine for him to pop in for a visit that day. He sent Twitters with the letter, and in about two hours time he had his reply. He grinned as he read the short note and told Loni where he would be going. He went outside and walked a ways up the street, and after checking that no Muggles were around, he closed his eyes and thought two words.

The Burrow.

He felt a tug and his stomach lurched, and as he opened his eyes a red blur threw itself at him and knocked him to the ground. He smiled at the face hovering above his and grinned at a rather out of breath Ginny Weasley.


End file.
